Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof on Wednesday affirmed his country’s ongoing financial, military and political support for Ukraine, while launching a broadside at Russia, in his inaugural parliamentary address.
"We should not be naive. A few hours' flight from here, there is a terrible war in which human life has no importance for Russia," said Schoof, a former Dutch intelligence chief.
“Ukraine can rely on the Netherlands’ steadfast support,” he stressed.
Schoof also said the Netherlands would allocate 2% of its GDP to defence, a benchmark mandated by NATO, which is soon to be led by his predecessor Mark Rutte.
Addressing a small group of journalists after his inauguration on Tuesday, he identified the primary threat to his country as clearly originating from the East. "Maybe because I used to be head of the security services, I'm a little more worried than the others," he observed.
Earlier this year, during Mark Rutte’s tenure, the Netherlands approved a €2 billion deal for military aid to Ukraine over ten years, then added an additional €1 billion.
Rutte also spearheaded the initiative to equip Ukraine with F-16 fighter jets, a move hailed as ‘historic’ by Ukranian President Volodymyr Zelensky during a visit to the Netherlands.
Schoof is leading an unusual government that does not include the leaders of the four right-wing parties that formed a coalition after the electoral victory of far-right leader Geert Wilders.
The situation in the Netherlands, one of the EU's key members, is being closely monitored by Brussels to ascertain whether the government in The Hague will continue to play a constructive role.
